Meat-smoking machine.



P. USINGER. MEAT SMOKING MACHINE. A 0N FILED 23.14, 1910. RENEWED AUG. 2, 1912.v

' Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

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P. USINGER.

MEAT SMOKING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED PEB. 14, 1910. RENBWBD AUG. z, 1912.

1,053,249, Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

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A which is adapted to smoke al UNITED sTATEs PATENT ormoE Tann UsINGEn, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

MEAT-SMOKING MACHINE.

Application led February 14, 1910, Serial. No.

to the accompanyingdrawings, which are a part of this specification..

This invention relates to improvements in meat smoking machines and more particularly to that class of machines used for smoking sausage, hams, bacon, etc.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a meat smoking machine'which is simple in construction and operation and of the parcels of meat evenly and obv-iates the neces sity of rehandling and possibility of breaking the parcels of meat during the. processl of smoking.

A further object of the invent-ion is to provide a meat smoking machine which is adapted to smoke a large amount of meat at one time in an eiiicient manner.

A further object of the invention is `to rovide a meat smoking machine with means l adapted to thoroughly dry the parcels of taken on meat during the process of smoking and to withdraw damp air when desired from the inclosure within which the meat is contained while being smoked.

With the above, and other objects in view, the invention consists of the meat smoking machine and its parts and combinations and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawingsin which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the complete meat smoking machine; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 3, a part of one of the meat trucks being broken away to show interior construction; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view thereof line 3-3 of-Fig. 1; and, Fig. 4 is a detail view of a modified part.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 8 indicates an inclosure or smoke chamber and 9 the medial doors and 10 the side doors opening thereto. This inclosure serves as a room 0r chamber in which the parcels of vided with two fire places 11 for burning material to produce the smoke. Doors 12 provide access to these re places and dam- Specication of Letters Patent Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

543,824. Renewed August 2, 1912. Serial No. 713,004.

pers 13 in the doors admit the necessary air for combustion to the" lires. The inclosure -is provided with heating coils 14 positionedl over `the `fire places which are adapted to dry the parcels of meat within the chamber and when the air within the chamber becomes too moist it is withdrawn by means of a Ventilating fan 15 .positioned above the inclosure and connected thereto by a pipe 16. A pipe 17 extends from the fan to the chimney 18. The .fan may be driven in any suitable manner desired. A main shaft. 19 mounted in bearings' in the walls of the inclosure has connected thereto two wheels 20 spaced apart and connected together at their peripheries by,transversely positioned supporting 'rods 21 revolubly mounted 'n bearings 22 bolted to the rims 'of the wheels. The ends of the supporting rods. are provided with collars 23 to prevent endwise movement. The sup rting rods also have eyed hooks 24rigi ly connected thereto,and ositioned between the wheels which are a apted to connect. to and support trucks 25 which have been moved into the path of travel of said hooks.

Each truck consists of a pair of upstanding rect-angular frames 26 formed of metal and connected together at their lower portions and mounted on rollers 27. The rectangular frames are provided with cross slats 28 having recessed or corrugated ribs 29 extending from their inner surfaces which are adapted to space apart and support rods 30 upon which the parcels of meat 31 are supported.

The trucks are raised into position to be engaged by the hooks 24 by means of an elevator 32 provided with track-ways 32 positioned below the wheels and withinl the inclosure and operated by racks 33, forming part of the elevator, meshing with the pinions 34 mounted on shafts 35 and 36 which have their bearings in standards 37. The shaft 35 is yof greater length than the shaft 36 and extends through the front wallV-of the inclosure and is provided with a ratchet wheel 38. An operating lever 39 straddling the ratchet wheel and mounted on the shaft 35 is provided with a spring actuated pawl 40 positioned to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel. A spring actuated locking pawl 41 serves to hold the ratchet wheel in 43 mounted on the shafts 35 and 36 conv `'bars 21 by means '15 sitioned within the chamber and the cranked "f thel' v cranked 30- their 145 car rest-ing thereon.

l '50 to lift the truck from 'hects thev two shafts together so tthey1 may both bevo rate b t e oneopera mg. ever. i pe y19 v'extends through thev 'j j `walls of the inclosure and at one end 1s v'prosvided with a jworm The main shaft wheel 44 which is in mesh with aworm 45:mounted on afshaft 46. The shaft 46 is driven from a countershaft 47 by a sprocket chain-and wheel connection 48 and the countersha'ft is kdriven by a lbelted' connection49 with a' source of pow er. l In the modified form shown 1n Fig; 4 p rovision is made for automatically lun ookin -.g the trucks from the transversely 'positione ofa cranked 1ever-50 poarm 'of' which is adapted to be moved 'into path Vof movement `of depending arms o 51 rlgi'dly-.connected to the transverse" rods at one end.' The cranked lever 50 is mount tends'through lthe,wall of the chamber and is'provided with an operating lever "53 on its outer end. A stop pin 54 is positioned below the short shaft and is adapted to hold the cranked lever in engaging position to unhook the hooks from the trucks. lIn connecting the hooks to the trucks the lever is swung upwardlyand the hooks will engage the trucks moved into aths. of movement and they will be carried around by the wheels. The `o ration of the machine is.as folf. lows-r T e parcels". of meat to be smoked sue'h as ham, bacon or sausage are suspended from the rods supported on the corrugated ribs forming' part of the truck, the corrugations providing for they proper spacing of the parcels a art. As soon aseach truck is completely Idlled with the parcels or pieces of meat it is pushed through the medial doorway into the smoke chamber and on to the tracks -of the elevator. The operating lever is then moved back and forth to turn the pinions and raise the elevator and the Whenmthe truck has been elevated to the proper height the hooks of one `of the transverse bars are hooked under the ,cross bar of the truck and the main shaft and wheels are turned by power the tracks of the elevator. The elevator is time and the other trucks are rolled into the chamber, elevated and connected to the transverse bars until each bar is provided s'with a truck full of parcels or pieces of meat and the doors are thenclosed. In the meantime the lires have been started in the fire places to produce the smoke desired and the main shaft is revolved toI successively lift each truck to the upper part of the chamber and then down to the lower part thereof so that the parcels of meat on each truck will be subjected to the same amount of smoke density which may vary with the diiierent degrees of altitude within the ed on the end of a short shaft 52 which exlowered at the same chamber. transverse rods are so spaced with relation to each also overthe main shaft without striking thuskeepinU the trucks always'in upright position; The parcels of meat are examined from time to time through the side doors and if the meat' .is .found to be more moist than desired steam is turned ontol the steam means of the Ventilating into the chimney and a -fresh s mitted to enterthrough the draft oorsor the other doors. When the parcels' of meat have been sufiicientlysmoked the rotation of the main shaft is stopped."'with one of the' trucks in the lowermost position, the "oper, .ating'lever is then move to raise the ele- 'v coils to dry the same and .if the air also i l .r

found to be too moist itis drawn -oi by fanand'discharged vator until the lower truck'y is supported thereonand when the'hooks'are disengaged from the truck the elevator is lowered and the Itruck is rolledout of main shaft is again turned .to bring another truck to the lower position and the elevator is raised as before and the operations repeated until all of the trucks have been removed from the chamber.

The operation of the similar tothe principal form with the excep-y tion that the hooks are automatically engaged and disengagedI from the trucks by the cranked armand the transverse rod arms.

the chamberand the parcels of meat removed therefrom. The' 9s modified form is From the foregoing description it will lbe seen that the machine is very sim le in construction and operation and -is we l adapted to smoke the parcels of meat in an ecient evenmanner without liability of breaking the parcels. What I claimas my invention is:

1. A meat smoking machine, colnpfsil'g.A

a smoke chamber, trucks adapted and constructed to be moved 'into the chamber vand provided with means for supporting pieces of meat, means for elevating the trucks into the path of movement of a revoluble member, and a revoluble member for engaging the trucks and elevating and lowering said trucks while the smoked.

2. A meat smoking machine, comprising a smoke chamber, an elevator within the chamber, trucks adapted and constructed to be moved on the elevator in the chamber and provided with pieces of meat, and a revoluble member or en aging the trucks when moved into the pat of movement of the revoluble member by the elevator and also for elevating and lowering said trucks while the pieces of meat are being smoked.

pieces of meat are beingV means for supporting versely positioned rods provided with truck.

3. A meat smoking machine, comprising a smoke chamber provided with doors opening thereto, a fire place within the' chamber, elevator within the chamber, trucks adapted and constructed tobe moved on the elevator within the chamber and provided with means for supporting pieces of meat, and a revohible member having transversely positioned rods provided with truck engaging means which are 4adapted to engage trucks moved into the path of'movement of the engaging means by the elevator and also for elevating and lowering said trucks while the pieces of meat'are being smoked.

4. A meat smoking machine, comprising a smoke chamber provided with doors opening thereto, a fireplace within the chamber, an elevator within the chamber, heating coils positioned in said chamber, a fan having communication with said chamber for withdrawing the moist air therefrom, trucks adapted and constructed to be moved on the elevator within the chamber and provided with means for supporting pieces of meat, and a revoluble member having transengaging means which are adapted to engage trucks moved into the path of movement of the engaging means by the elevator and also for elevating and lowering said trucks while the pieces of meat are being smoked.

5. A meat smoking machine, comprising a smoke chamber provided with doors opening thereto, a replace within the chamber, a shaft extending across the chamber, wheels spaced 'apart and mounted on said shaft, rods connected to the wheels and spaced a distance apart, removable holding trucks suspended from said rods and adapted and constructed to`swing over the rods immediately below the rods to which the members are connected and also over the shaft, said trucks provided with meat holding means, and means, for rotating the wheels. l

6. A meat smoking machine, 'comprising a smoke chamber provided with doors opening thereto, a fire lace,within the c hamber, a shaft extending across the chamber, wheels spaced apart and mounted on said shaft, rods connected to the wheels and spaced a distance apart, meat holding members suspended from said rods and adapted and constructed to swing over v the rods immediately belowthe rods to Awhich the members are connected and also over the,l shaft, an elevator within the chamber for elevating'the meat holdin members into position to be enga ed y the rods 'connected to the wheels, an means for rotating the wheels.

7. A meat smoking machine, comprising a smoke chamber provided with doors opening thereto, a lire place within the chamber, a Wheel mounted within the chamber and provided withmeans for detachably engaging meat holding members, an elevator within the chamber for elevating the ymeat holding members into position to be engaged by the wheel, means exteriorly of the chamber -for operating the elevator, means for heating the chamber, means for withdrawing the moistair from the chamber, and means for rotating the wheel.

8. A meat smoking machine, comprising a smoke chamber provided with doors openin thereto, means for introducing smoke within the chamber, a shaft extendin across the chamber and extendin 'throng one of the chamber .'walls, whee s spaced apart and mounted on the shaft, rods connected to the wheels .and spaced a distance apart, trucks detachably connected to the rodsand adapted and constructed to swing over the rods immediatelyV below the rods to lwhich thetrucks are connected and also over the shaft, an elevator for elevating` the trucks into position to be engaged by the rods, means exteriorly of the chamber for operating the elevator, means for heating said chamber, -a fan for `withdrawing moist veo air from the chamber, a worm wheel mounted on theshaft, a worm in mesh with said gear, and means for rotating the worm.

9. truck for a meat smoking machine,

comprising a pair of upstanding frames provided with cross slats having recessed ribs extending fromtheir inner surfaces, the recessed portions of said ribs opening upwardly and meat supporting rods extending from one frame to the other and spaced apart and supportedon said ribs and entering said recesses.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signa-y ture, in presence of two witnesses.

FRED USINGER.

Witnesses:

' W. J. KRAUTHonrEn,

ALMA A. KLUG.

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